NLA-IA/ACC Summit
The Summit The first official meeting between the NLA and the Iron Army/Armor Corps, taking place after the revelation of the Lotus of Rebellion and Zau's meeting with ARHK. The meeting was televised live across all of China. Topics of Discussion *ACC's goals in China. *NLA-IA/ACC cooperation towards unifying China. *ARHK's previous deal of support to the NLA Resolutions *ACC promises that China's unified government will be established democratically. *The NLA and IA/ACC will enter into a pact of mutual defense and trade. *ACC will be allowed to establish a staging ground in mainland China. In return, the NLA is able to make use of Armor Corps facilities and assets, to include ARHK's medical and manufacturing technology, the Ptolemy, AC Tin Men units and conventional forces. *Per the previous deal with ARHK, the NLA will be given all of ARHK's SILIUM and GYO drones in exchange for joint holding of the territory of Fujian, centered on a co-operated base to be established at a later date. Transcript The cameras start rolling. The public broadcast to all of China and some parts of the world showed the rather frugal decorations of the Iron Army Press Conference Room. It was barely furnished, but it had two long tables set in parallel to each other. Adorning the walls were the flags of the ACC, its subfactions, the Iron Army, and the NLA. High Officer An Guo, who was already present at a table set perpendicular to the two parallel tables, stood up to greet Zau Yi and several of his advisors. Bowing and urging them to take a seat, An Guo then nods to signal for the rest of the ACC negotiators to appear and take a seat themselves. Chris walks forward, carefully drawing a chair from under the table, taking his coat from his shoulders and balancing it on the back of the chair before sitting down. He immediately zoned in on the chair closest to An Guo, figuring that he'd need to be in position to cut off any sudden (and potentially stupid) decisions by throwing An Guo at the problem. CHRIS: "Afternoon. I take it that you've been briefed on the deal?" Outsider shortly follows behind, taking up a seat next to his fellow Hanse Agent. An Guo nods calmly. He was rather happy that diplomatic measures are being taken, maybe this was the dawn of peace for China? Lyn entered slowly, hesitant to take a seat. LYN: “I'm being overdramatic... let's leave this to the others..." Outsider rises, pulling a chair back for her. OUTSIDER: “Please.” LYN: "...thanks. Ugh...like a conference would change anything in these ugly hearts of men" Lyn silently scoffed before sternly gazing at the opposition. OUTSIDER: “We don’t need it to.” Outsider replies calmly, before motioning to the girl that seemed to constantly follow him around. OUTSIDER: “Carol, be a dear and bring me and the lady here some water.” CHRIS: "Did it really need to be televised." Chris grumbles, pointedly ignoring his fellow Hanse operatives. AN GUO: "ACC, NLA, welcome to the alliance talks. For the public watching this broadcast. This talk is held in Taiwan, territory of the Iron Army. This talk is broadcasted to show both the ACC and NLA's commitment to true peace. And for the rest of China to follow suit." An Guo sits down once more, nodding to the Hanse to show that they can start. Anna finds a seat at the end of the ACC-aligned table, a notebook and a nice gel pen placed on the tabletop in front of her. CHRIS: "Alright." Chris lifts a briefcase onto his lap, clicking open the latches and grabbing a few manilla folders from it before returning the briefcase back to its place under the table. He places the two folders on the table and shuffled them around meaningfully. In reality, there wasn't actually anything all that interesting in the folders. Just some basic information about the NLA's current state, the geographical makeup of potentially relevant areas, and whatever little information ACC had on the relevant parties. The folders were there to make him look official, prepared, and above-board. CHRIS: "If it's alright, I'll begin?" He looks around the room, and begins speaking before anyone has a chance to stop him. CHRIS: "So, I think it's clear to all assembled that the enemies arrayed against a unified and strong China are numerous and devious. It is my belief that without ACC's support, the road to peace would be a long and bloody one that neither the NLA, nor any of the Survivalists Coalition could afford. With the aid of ACC, however, I think that this period of conflict could be brought to a swift end. It is not only in the best interests of the NLA, but also ACC, and the Survivalists Coalition, for the specifics of this alliance to be hammered out as quickly as reasonably possible." ZAU: "I would of course agree that with the help of a foreign power, especially one as significant and powerful as the ACC would be the fastest way to peace. However, what does the ACC get out of this? Why insist on helping a country like China for all the risk and marginal rewards?" CHRIS: "ACC's single overarching mandate is the protection and preservation of humanity. If we shirked our duties simply because we would not receive a reward, we wouldn't be worthy of the trust that the people place in us. I'd be lying if I said our motivations were purely ideological, though. Prior to the Vannai's invasion, China was a major trading partner of Australia, and if China is strengthened we believe that the gains of mutually beneficial trade would be more than worth the risk." ZAU: "The protection and preservation of humanity..." Zau repeats the sentence as though savoring the words. ZAU: "A noble goal, to be sure. But what happens if our... friends in the Survivalist Coalition would not join us in union? What if they choose to... defy our alliance? What kind of "humanity" would the ACC value more? My smaller NLA, or the larger Beng faction, for example?" CHRIS: "The reality of the situation is that the ACC has had to make hard decisions throughout it's life. Some controversial at the time have later proven to be the wisest course of action. If pushed, we are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to bring all of China under one banner, though I would hope that our friends in the Survivalist Coalition would be willing to join us in the fight against banditry and chaos. There is no doubt in my mind that this path is the only viable one. I do not believe we need to fear the Survivalists turning on us. They are wisely and justly led, and to oppose us would be unwise and unjust. In taking that path they would consign the lives of thousands of their own to death." As he delivers that last sentence, he slowly breaks eye contact and stares into the nearest camera, before returning his gaze to Zau. CHRIS: "In short, were the Survivalists to oppose us, which I do not believe they would, we would be left no choice than to ensure the safety of China by force." ZAU: "And once you have China under a single banner... Who's banner would it be?" CHRIS: "China's." Chris replies, plainly. CHRIS: "We will ensure that the people of China are allowed to decide who best to lead them, and assist whoever is chosen to organize and govern the country in whatever way they request." ZAU: "A beautiful goal! Beautiful!" Zau Yi claps. ZAU: "But it does make you seem the fool, Chris. Do you really think we warlords could easily coalesce, and in some cases, give up our power for a democratic system? Or are you suggesting something else?" CHRIS: "As I pointed out, ACC is no stranger to controversial decisions. Perhaps it is naive, but I do believe that, once presented with the possibility for a unified China, that the warlords would be forced to acquiesce. Would it not make them the fools to be the last obstacle between the Chinese people and unification? When on the precipice of lasting peace and prosperity, who would accept such greed and wanton lust for power? I feel the need to state again, however, that I do not believe that any of the Survivalists Coalition would condone that sort of behaviour. In my dealings with them, they have all proven themselves to be honourable and wise leaders." Chris raises his hands in a gesture of mock surrender. CHRIS: "I admit that if, hypothetically, we were troubled by such a decision that ACC would have no choice but to enforce the will of the Chinese people, even if it means that more ACC pilots are placed at risk. When it comes to the removal of tyrants, there is no cost too great." ZAU: "So, what of the future then? Is China to become a buffer zone to the EuF and Japan for the ACC?" Zau leans in slightly. ZAU: "What if China, as a whole, chooses to ally itself with a faction that isn't the ACC?" CHRIS: "China's future will be its own." Chris leans in to match. CHRIS: "We have no desire to meddle in Chinese politics. It is, however, our hope that China will maintain close relations with ACC following unification, to the mutual benefit of both parties." ZAU: "No, no, that won't do. This is just too easy for us. I, for one, would not believe that the ACC is just here to unite China and then leaving us to our devices... or is this a new sentiment borne from the ACC's recent failures in Europe and Japan?" Chris winces a little. CHRIS: "I will admit that our attempts to directly steer the course of nations have left a sour taste in the mouths of those involved, and I wouldn't blame anyone for looking at my promises with suspicion, but we have learnt from our past. Mistakes were made, and we seek to correct those mistakes moving forward. As I have expressed, I believe that mutual cooperation is far more beneficial to us that attempting to foolishly repeat the mistakes of the past." Zau closes his eyes as his advisors whisper to each other. He was listening to the mumbling. In the end, the legislative council that made him Grand General told him to handle this diplomatic talk. An odd choice. ZAU: "So, if this alliance were to form, I assume that we are going to build it up along the way. Would it be adequate to say that we start with some simple trade deals and a mutual defense pact?" CHRIS: "I would see no reason to dally. I understand that the NLA has been able to fend for itself for some time, but with the people of China in such dire straits, I would hope for a closer partnership as soon as feasibly possible. For example, one of the greatest roadblocks to a greater ACC presence on the mainland has been the lack of a staging ground. If ACC were allowed the use of NLA bases, this would greatly expedite the process of liberating new ground." ZAU: "The use of our bases on the mainland?Do you know how large of a benefit that would be? What can you offer us in return? No, don't talk about the eventual unification of China. We want something tangible, something that would show the world that we aren't just ACC's lapdogs, which I think would be beneficial for the ACC as well." CHRIS: "Obviously the use of ACC bases in turn, including the training and maintenance facilities present on Taiwan and elsewhere. I'm sure that AHRK would be happy to furnish the NLA with advanced medical and manufacturing technology. Access to ACC assets, such as the Ptolmey, and when available groups of tin-men and other more conventional forces. I wish to clarify, however, that this would be a benefit to us if we were attempting to conquer China. As it stands, however, our only aim is the unification of China, ergo an increased ACC presence on the mainland only benefits you, and so facilitating that presence isn't an act of deference or charity, but pragmatism. However, in the interest of maintaining a partnership rather than a one sided exchange, we would be more than willing to offer the NLA those privileges." ZAU: "You make a rather good case..." Zau suddenly shifts his tone to something much more cheerful. ZAU: "Oh, did you know? I visited ARHK the other day, and they agreed to exchange a lot of their combat drones in exchange for the province of Fujian. However, they didn't really solidify that deal. So how about in a show of good faith, we modify that deal a little bit? As usual ARHK would give me all of their SILIUM and GYO drones, in exchange for turning Fujian into jointly-held territory, where both the NLA and the ACC can set up a cooperative base for easier future negotiations as well as a pilot to a joint-training and joint-manufacturing efforts?" Chris' eye twitches. CHRIS: "That sounds like an excellent idea, and I'd be more than happy to agree to that deal on behalf of our... colleagues." Anna hesitates in her scribbling for just a moment. ZAU: "Excellent! Excellent! So, an alliance between the NLA and the ACC, for the first steps to re-unifying China. Mutually, we will have a free trade deal and a defense pact. In addition to that, in exchange for the SILIUM and GYO drones, we will have Fujian set up as a joint-territory, and have a cooperative base set up as the cornerstone and foundation for our alliance. Did I get everything right?" CHRIS: "I believe so." ZAU: "Then let us shake on that, and make this official in front of the entirety of China!" Zau stands up, walking towards the other table as the cameras tracked him. Without so much of a glance at An Guo, he walks past the High Officer of the Iron Army and goes straight to Chris. ZAU: "May this be the turning point of China's suffering." Outsider impatiently taps his fingers against the table, quietly listening in. Lyn could only close her eyes and sigh. Chris quickly glances to An Guo, making a quick decision in his head. Deciding to ignore the snub for the moment, he (somewhat ungracefully) pushes his chair back and stands, smiling as photogenically as he could as he took and thoroughly shook Zau's hand. CHRIS: "On behalf of ACC, I am happy to accept this deal." A plan starts to germinate in Chris' head. It would be a bit hamfisted, and he did want to appear as strong as he could, but he felt the snub was intentional, and wished to... correct that. CHRIS: "However, I feel like I cannot truly say that any deal has been formalized without the High Officers approval. An Guo, do you approve?" He looks down at An Guo beside him. An Guo stands up, smiling. AN GUO: "Of course. The Iron Army has prospered under the ACC. This alliance will do the same for China as a whole." Chris ushers An Guo to shake hands with Zau, placing one hand on each man's shoulder as he did. Without skipping a beat, Zau Yi offers his hands to An Guo, who took it. It looked completely natural. In fact, Zau Yi seemed to look satisfied. It was as though that was a test. ZAU: "I hope you would forgive me about that, An Guo. The excitement of the alliance clouded my mind for awhile." An Guo laughed benevolently. AN GUO: "Do not worry, Zau Yi. No offense taken." Chris nods, smiling, and takes his seat again. With this, the greatest alliance within China is formed, between the immovable NLA and the powerful ACC. Whether this is the path that leads to the eventual reunification and eradication of peace in China, that is a story for another day. Category:PACYOA: TE Category:China